(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image output device, an image forming device and method for generating a video hard copy to print a video (moving images) displayed on a monitor screen and especially to technology that identifies suitably one image to be printed.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, as for a method for producing a hard copy of a video (moving images) displayed on a monitor screen of a television receiver, there is a method for using an analogue video printer.
This analogue video printer is connected with a television receiver and is provided with the same signal as an analogue video signal provided to a monitor screen of the television receiver. This analogue video signal is digitized in the analogue video printer and is recorded as image data in frame memory in the analogue video printer in sequence similarly to an image displayed in the monitor screen in a unit of frame.
In this case, when the analogue video printer receives an instruction from a user to print an image, an update of the image data by the frame memory of the analogue video printer is stopped and the image data of the image to be printed is decided. This decided image data are read out from the frame memory and are converted to printing data.
Furthermore, the analogue video printer executes print processing based on this printing data. As is described above, conventionally, one image displayed on the monitor screen of the television receiver is identified and this image is printed.
However, conventionally, in the case that the user gives a print instruction while he is watching the monitor screen of a television receiver, from the time the user captures the image by vision that he wants to print to the time he instructs to print, response delay time occurs generally, and therefore, an image later than the image he wants to print is printed and it is very irksome.
Additionally, from the time the analogue video printer starts the print processing to the time it finishes the printing processing, it takes, generally, several seconds to several tens of seconds. During this time, the video displayed on the monitor screen of the television receiver is ever changing. For this reason, it is impossible to select an image to be printed and to confirm its advisability using the monitor screen of the television receiver. When the user tries to select an image to be printed and to confirm its advisability, until the work is done, the video broadcast in real time is discontinued.
As is described above, in the case of printing using the conventional analogue video printer, since the image that the user does not want is printed and the video (the moving images) is discontinued, it is difficult to use.